title: Changes in myocardial infarction mortality.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) in Norway has decreased substantially over the last two decades, according to recent publications based on data from the Norwegian Patient Registry. To better understand the development of cardiovascular disease over time we have investigated the development of MI mortality in light of the decrease in MI incidence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on MI mortality were retrieved from the Cause of Death Registry (Statistics Norway) for the period 1969-2007 and analyzed. Mortality rates (death per 100,000 inhabitants) were calculated for the total population according to sex and the following age groups: 0-39 years, 10-year groups in the range 40-79 years and 80 years and higher.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total MI mortality showed a weak increase in the 1970s and the 1980s until 1987. Mortality decreased substantially from 1987 to 2007, 64% for men and 47% for women. The reduction in mortality started first for the youngest age groups. In 2007, the decrease in mortality from the peak years was about 70% for the age groups below 80 years and about 40% in the group above 80 years of age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After small changes in the 1970s and 1980s, MI mortality has decreased steadily in the 1990 s in all age groups and has continued to do so after 2000.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacotherapeutics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Post box 1057 Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway. asmund.reikvam@medisin.uio.no
authors.forename: Asmund
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reikvam
authors.forename: Terje P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Hagen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality*; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D015996:Survival Rate